When Flowers Bloom
by supermeerio
Summary: What happens if Rangiku met Rukia earlier in Rukongai?
Bleach is not mine. I write for fun.

Work Text:

Rangiku is running. She looked at her back and there was a man after her.

Her stomach made noise and along with her legs it felt painful. The bustling streets of Rukongai blur as she ran.

She held her loot then pinched a piece and with great care put it on her mouth. It will be waste if it fell down. She scanned her surroundings for alleys that she can squeeze on to end this chase. Bingo! She turned right and sure there was the alley. Now she just have to lose the man. She slowed down and walked, her pace normal.

"You're never gonna walk again pest!"

When she was about to be grabbed she quickly turned left and entered a busy eatery.

Find the exit! Find the exit! She dashed careful not to trip.

"Watch where yer going!" One hit her arm almost dropping her loot, almost. It was painful but it would be much more if she got caught. She will never get caught.

"That pest is a thief!"

There, the exit! She dashed on, adrenalin pumping on her veins. She dared to look at the man one last time and as if on cue, he crashed on a customer. She was relieved. Now she has to get back on track.

Rangiku was back on her route. She turned right on the alley. A left here and a right there brought her to a dead end. You just have to know where to look and sure there it was, the dilapidated hut. She climbed on the wooden door, careful not to drop her loot. She grabbed the edge of the roof and eased her way on top.

She walked on top of the roofs, like a tomcat. Sidestepping a rot she got down the roof.

Rangiku landed on the grass. She stretched and yawned. While they thieved on the urban area, they usually stayed on the rural areas of Rukongai.

She met Gin there, when she was awful hungry and resigned to death. He told her to eat up and offered his food. Rangiku learned two things that day which was first she has spiritual pressure and that she loved dried persimmons.

He asked her name and she asked his. Rangiku tells him that his name is weird. He thought she was funny and from then on became friends.

Gin said that the streets are already full of children and they needed to stay on the outskirts of town to plant their persimmons. He thought that stealing persimmons wouldn't sustain them forever and dangerous, he decided to plant his own. He asked her to come with him and soon they were on the rural area, which was nice and peaceful.

It was really a contrast to the bustling streets.

She sat down on a nearby rock slab and took a little peek on her loot. Mostly it was food. What stood out was the milk. She sighed. She wished Gin would come back, he was always away. He would know what to do it these situations.

-Two days earlier-

The persimmons were running out and soon she needed some food. She waited for him to come back and sat sullenly thinking about why he always goes away for days, until she heard some shuffling.

She saw a girl about older than Gin and her, what she didn't expect was for the girl to black out. Rangiku thought the girl was dead. She felt if there was air coming out on her mouth, there was.

She then heard the crying, from the girl's Yucatan there was a bundle which she thought were her belongings until it wriggled and cried some more.

Rangiku was secretly relieved that she didn't fell forward, that might have squished the toddler. The girl was still young so she supposed that it might be her sister/brother. She took pity and laid the girl on her makeshift bed with the toddler. The girl was skinny and she found out she could lift her easily.

Sensing that the baby must be hungry she gave it some dried persimmon which it sucked on, she didn't know what it ate. It stopped crying.

Turning back her attention to the girl, Rangiku noticed that the girl was hurt which was unnoticeable, her shoulders were pretty damp. She opened the Yucatan and there it was, her left shoulder looked pretty bad. She panicked.

The girl stirred, then struggled "We barely made it out alive."

"Who did this?" She asked.

"Monsters, hollows, they eat people." She wheezed

The girl held her hand, then said "Please take care of my sister, Rukia. Please say that Hisana loves her."

With that she was gone. The girl was no more. Rangiku cried that day. Now, she had responsibility but didn't know what to do. She was alone and Gin still hadn't come. The toddler cried with her, she must have spiritual pressure too.

Rangiku dug out a hole.

Hisana looked peaceful in her grave. Rangiku didn't promise anything but she would sure take care of Rukia from now on even if Gin says otherwise. A kid taking care of a kid. Well, Gin took good care of her.

Rangiku gathered some wild flowers and put it on Hisana, she bowed and began to fill the grave with dirt. As she finished, Rangiku laid down rocks to mark the grave and then told her farewell.

Rangiku then remembered from a memory on the streets that babies were pretty much abandoned because some steadily need food and milk to survive. They often didn't last and with a shook of her head she promised it wouldn't happen to little Rukia.

From then on she would go out to steal some milk and some food too.

-two days later-

Rangiku then got up and came back to the shack and there was Rukia, playing with the cups. Smilling and laughing as she stacked and took down the cups.

Rangiku smiled with her as well. Rukia then threw her hands out wanting to be carried.

She lifted Rukia.

"I have a something for you!"

Rangiku gave Rukia the milk and a bread the size of her thumb. The little girl ate it soon asked for more, she gave more.

They were surviving from the dried persimmons, soon it all run out.

She wondered about Gin, is he eating well? She was thirsty and soon she headed out to get some water. Rukia was behaved, she noticed that the toddler can seat on her own but can't barely say a word. Rangiku would just give her something to play on and the toddler would squeal in delight and play on it.

She wondered if Rukia missed Hisana or was she not old enough to know any better.

Rangiku decided on the latter and took a jar. She headed to the river.

/

Rangiku was heading back when she heard a cry. She sprinted and entered the shack.

She was surprised by Gin holding a crying Rukia.

"Welcome home Ran-chan, who's this?"


End file.
